Docks to Delta: Listening to the Landscape Along the Capitol Corridor

THE STORY:

CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE FOR RURAL STUDIES INC wrote -

GREAT NEWS! From now until May 25th-- DOUBLE your contribution through a matching grant from Sarah Schwartz Sax and Meg Coward! Every $ we can raise up to $2500 will be worth two! If you've been thinking about giving, NOW is the time!

ALL ABOARD! Join a conversation about our agricultural past-- and a just, sustainable farming future! The Docks to Delta project is part live storytelling event and part podcast series that reveals the agricultural history evoked by a landscape travelled by thousands of commuters every day—the one seen through the windows of the Capitol Corridor Amtrak train that runs from Oakland to Sacramento. Docks to Delta will amplify the voices of people who lived through and participated in key moments in California agriculture, highlighting stories that push listeners’ thinking beyond the usual historical narratives and policy debates.

Docks to Delta guests on the Capitol Corridor train for the launch event (happening on September 26, 2015) will hear stories in a lively, thought-provoking, two-hour program on the way to Sacramento and will have the opportunity to talk to one another and the storytellers (over food, of course!) on the return trip to Oakland. After the event, all Docks to Delta stories will be made available as podcasts that can be accessed via smart phone app or computer by anyone riding the Capitol Corridor or by members of the general public, at any time.

CIRS needs your support to produce this podcast series! Important agricultural sites with compelling stories are visible all along this route, which travels from San Jose to Auburn, and yet many people riding the train might not have thought about them. Docks to Delta is the first project of the Cal Ag Roots Program, which aims to put historical roots under current California food and farming change movements by telling the story of California agricultural development in innovative, useful and relevant ways. By creating a variety of accessible resources that tell this story—and opening new lines of communication between researchers and people engaged in agricultural advocacy work—this project would illuminate the often-hidden structures that define what’s possible in California farming.

The idea is straightforward: If we arm activists with historical knowledge, they are better prepared to reflect on-- and carry out-- current work. CIRS is interested in telling stories about agricultural development because we believe shifting farming and food systems towards social, economic and environmental justice requires a clear-eyed understanding of how and why the current agricultural system developed. While there are many stories told about California agriculture, many of them adhere to strict ideologies—praising the ingenuity of the system or decrying its effects—which has led entrenched camps of advocates to lock into their current positions and staunchly defend them. Without knowledge of where we’ve been and what structures we are surrounded by, it is too easy for anyone interested in changing California farming to reinvent past failed solutions, unintentionally replicate injustices and misplace energy fighting the wrong battles.

Donate now to help make the Docks to Delta podcast series a reality! Anyone who contributes $150 or more will receive 2 tickets to a special meet-and-greet in advance of the Docks to Delta train ride with CA Ag experts and storytellers.

The Team:
$9,700 TOTAL RAISED SO FAR

Amount Raised

$9,665

Amount Raised

$10

Donor Comments

DONATION: $25

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